Low GPA. Is dental school still even an option?

[loveforscience64]

Hi, I am a non-traditional student and I graduated from undergraduate with a degree in mathematics. I am looking at making a career change and I am very interested in dentistry. I shadowed two dentists and one orthodontist and I loved my shadowing experience but my undergraduate gpa is a 2.8 which is considered low for most graduate programs. I have considered doing a post-baccalaureate program but I would like to stay in my state and I am covering the cost of the program myself. I live in a small city so I only have a private college, my undergraduate university, and a community college available to me in close driving distance. I absolutely hated my time at the university that I graduated from so I would very much not like to go back, the private college is the most expensive out of the three but they have a formal post-baccalaureate program and it is the closest to where I live, and the community college is the least expensive out of the three. Is it still even possible to get my gpa up to a 3.0? I know taking the prerequisites at a community college will limit the number of schools I can apply to but do dental schools frown on applicants who take their prerequisites at a community college? Should I save money and go with the community college option? Would taking the prerequisites at a formal post-baccalaureate like the one offered at the private college be a better option? I don’t have any SMPs in my state and most of the Master’s programs want applicants to have most of the prerequisites completed before applying and I have not started any yet. No matter which option I choose it would more than likely be funded by loans so I am trying to make the best financial decision. I need advice!

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[Chicago_predental]

Its possible, but I would highly advise against the CC route if you can. I did a formal post-bacc at a pretty rigorous school near me (online due to COVID) so I definitely saved on living expenses by staying at home. Its definitely an investment, but I would definitely recommend you do the private college near you. It sucks to take out loans before dental school, but you want to give yourself the best chance at school and compared to dental school tuition, it's much cheaper. I took courses at the CC and I wish I had known to just do them all at a 4-year school

 

[loveforscience64]

Its possible, but I would highly advise against the CC route if you can. I did a formal post-bacc at a pretty rigorous school near me (online due to COVID) so I definitely saved on living expenses by staying at home. Its definitely an investment, but I would definitely recommend you do the private college near you. It sucks to take out loans before dental school, but you want to give yourself the best chance at school and compared to dental school tuition, it's much cheaper. I took courses at the CC and I wish I had known to just do them all at a 4-year school

Thanks for the response and I wish I could’ve done it online but all of the colleges near me have gone back to in person learning. I know a four year college would look better on my application than a two year but it’s difficult not to consider the cost difference since I am covering the cost myself.